The varied faces of North Texas Street

Sohan Singh stands inside Hometown Car Wash and Auto in Fairfield, Tuesday. Singh came to America from India has worked at Hometown Car Wash and Auto for 14 years. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — Sam Singh looks out the large front window of his North Texas Street business and sees potential.

Yazmin Chaldez’s first job was on North Texas Street. She’s returned to the same street at a different address and job.

Lucia Monasmith finds friends and fun on North Texas Street.

Will Kendrigan seeks solace, sitting in front of a coffee shop at Raley’s Plaza on North Texas Street.

Part of Fairfield’s main drag, which runs from the Armijo High School curve to Manuel Campos Parkway, is a hub of businesses ranging from a small doughnut shop to the Walmart supercenter. In between are many other stores offering services and goods as diverse as the population that travels the street.

Singh purchased the Home Town Car Wash & Detail Shop from a family member about 11 years ago.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes,” Singh said of his time on North Texas Street.

One of the biggest has been the increased number of homeless women, he said. Despite that increase, he added that he has relatively few problems with them. Born in India, he came to the United States in his teens, worked hard, purchased his own business and has earned the right to take a few days off each week, he said.

Singh loves his location and hopes to add oil change services in the future.

Chaldez has her own insurance agency inside the Mexico Meat Market, a few blocks down from Chicken Express, where she worked in her early teens.

She rents a space inside the market. Chaldez is often there 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We used to have a skating rink,” said the 2007 Fairfield High School graduate of the North Texas sector. “We used to have a lot of things.”

She would like to see more entertainment on North Texas Street, particularly geared toward her age group.

“Anything that’s fun (for) after work, just not a bar,” she said.

Chaldez said she surveyed her clients before choosing her present location. She estimated about 400 people a day pass by her desk and that business has been good.

Her goal is to expand her business and keep the desk at its current location, but also seek out a larger space.

“I’m looking to be a big brand in Solano County,” she said.

Monasmith is a caregiver who drops by Talk ’N’ Win, next to the Dollar Tree, a few times a week. She was a regular at the bingo center in the same complex. The bingo center closed several years ago – Big Lots and Kmart followed that route next.

She came here from the Los Angeles area 25 years ago to raise her son. She kept her son out of trouble by enrolling him in city-sponsored programs, she said.

“There used to be more activities for young kids,” Monasmith said. “They’re gone. Kids get in so much trouble when there’s not enough activities for them.”

Will Kendrigan was in fifth grade when his family settled in Fairfield. Though he lives on the west side of town, he’s found the Starbucks in Raley’s Plaza a great place to find old friends.

A drive-in movie theater and cinema were once located in the same area where he recently sipped his ice tea. He misses downtown comedy club Pepperbelly’s the most. Kendrigan used to do open mic nights there, but it burned in January 2013.

He would like to see North Texas Street welcome a Dave & Busters or something similar to Stars in Vacaville that features bowling, laser tag and live music.

Kendrigan often travels to Sacramento or San Francisco for his entertainment.

“You’ve got to keep things alive if you want people to show up,” he said.

Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Faces of North Texas Street 4_22_14

Amy Maginnis-Honey

Amy Maginnis-Honey joined the staff of the Daily Republic in 1980. She’ll tell you she was only 3 at the time.
Over the past three decades she’s done a variety of jobs in the newsroom.
Today, she covers arts and entertainment and writes for the Living and news pages.

archieApril 27, 2014 - 3:36 am

CD BrooksApril 27, 2014 - 8:07 am

It would be great if we could have a new bowling center and possibly other indoor activities, even a drive-in movie site. The problem is we have too many bad guys wanting to take over and nobody to stop them. A cruise night and events promoting that would be a blast for everybody but sure enough, those gun-toting trouble-making residents from everywhere would mess it up. But that’s what happens when you lose control of your community. Can you say zero tolerance?

Yazmin ChaidezApril 27, 2014 - 10:58 am

Rich GiddensApril 27, 2014 - 11:01 am

So---the third world comes here bringing their ''customs'' with them and they won't assimilate. And the then white men are told they are ''racist'' and its getting worse! Several days ago, a Politician in England was arrested for quoting Winston Churchill's written words read verbatim from his book. Tyranny and the destruction of Western Civilization are here----brought to you by a government of traitors and the news media.

Rich GiddensApril 27, 2014 - 11:04 am

jdApril 27, 2014 - 8:31 pm

Funny this article covers a business like Talk-N-Win who is currently under investigation because they are running a illegal gambling facility. At these places you go in, buy a "calling card" and the calling card has sweepstakes numbers on them. You use their computer (also a ghetto internet cafe) to see if you won, of course the very few min's you buy on the card isn't
your main intention for visiting this nasty facility. It is filled with illegals.
(article from the F.B.I)
BUREAU LAW ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY
The Bureau issued its December 5, 2012 law enforcement advisory ("advisory") to address computer sweepstakes games:
With increasing frequency, so-called "Internet cafes" that sell Internet time or phone cards in conjunction with a "promotional sweepstakes," are operating throughout California. The "sweepstakes aspect" of the Internet cafes permits customers to play gambling-themed games on computers to win cash prizes. The Bureau . . . considers Internet cafes that offer these types of sweepstakes to be illegal gambling operations

digressApril 27, 2014 - 11:15 pm

I didn't know that about Talk 'N" Win, I've seen it there but it's name never enticed me to venture in. But I have been a frequent player of the game show networks free games on line , they also have cash games, that is gambling. Wounder how they get away with that ? but then again shouldn't adults in a FREE Society make their own decisions on what they want to do with their money, shouldn't the Government keep out of it, I'll answer that, Yes ....